I Want To Hold Your Hand
by FortheLionandLamb
Summary: Edward and Bella have always hated each other. She was an uptight know-it-all and he was an arrogant, womanizing jerk. But when something terrible happens to Bella's best friend and Edward's close sister, Alice, the two of them must fulfill Alice's wish and form a truce. But can they get over the past and get along? Or are the two's differences too complex to simply 'get over' ?
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **_**I own nothing.  
**

**Ahoy there, maties! Bings here, with a whole new story of my own creation.**

**I hope there's never been a story like this on fanfiction, I like thinking of this story as an original. :D**

**I apologize in advance if this first chapter sucks. I _guarantee_ the next chapter will keep you on your toes. Give it a chance. **

**A teensy warning: there will be course language. There will also be sadness in the chapters to come, trust me. So there. I warned you. :D**

**Enjoy this first chapter of _I Want To Hold Your Hand. _:)**

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**BELLA POV**

"You would know, Ali, that I'm not always uptight! I can live a little." I said, crossing my arms over my chest and looking at her defiantly.

I was currently hanging out with my best friend, Alice Cullen, in her ginormous mansion. We had originally planned a fun day at the beach, considering it was summer. However, due to the incessant pouring rain, we were trapped inside her lovely estate with nothing do to but watch rom-coms. I wasn't surprised. It was constant gloom and doom in the small town of Forks, Washington.

The rom-coms were actually kind of a routine thing. There were definitely more things we could do, but settling down on one of the comfy couches in Alice's theatre room drinking ice-cold Coca Cola from a _glass_ bottle, holding a bowl of popcorn in my lap and watching a romantic comedy wasn't all that bad. Usually I claimed that romantic movies were garbage and never true, but I was secretly a sucker for that 'happy ending' thing.

A little more about me: I'm Isabella Marie Swan, but I prefer going by Bella. I'm 5'4" with long, straight brown hair, pale skin and brown eyes. I've never been into sports, but I have a petite figure (although I'm more on the soft side than the toned one).

I've been cursed with being exceptionally clumsy. I read old English Literature for fun, I've never had a boyfriend and I have a bit of a temper. At school, I'm not regarded as a nerd, but I'm not exactly popular either. I love Italian food and hate the sight, smell and thought of blood. Overall, I'm a pretty simple, normal girl, right?

Alice, on the other hand, could not be more different. She's loud, playful and obsessed with clothes. She has short, jet-black hair and bright blue eyes. She's 5'2" and even more petite than I am, but she manages to pull it off. She has the grace and poise of a ballerina.

She shops for fun, she has a lot more dating experience than I do and she could not be more carefree and outgoing. She's naturally hyper and energetic, and bounces off the walls from time to time. She's stylish and rich, and would very much fit in with the popular crowd, but she prefers me, oddly enough. I love her like a sister.

My statement earlier (about not being uptight and being able to live a little) was in retaliation to Alice telling me that I in fact, was a little uptight and did not know how to 'live it up'. We were debating whether or not we should go to Mike Newton's party next week. I was all for _not _going.

"Did I just hear _Bella Swan_ saying that she could 'live a little'?"

A male voice sounded from behind us, and I turned to glare at the source of the words.

"Fuck off, Edward. Don't you have a blonde bimbo to screw the brains out of?" I retorted, huffing and turning around to stare at the colossal flat-screen television where _Easy A _was playing.

Did I mention Alice has an arrogant, self-centered, pig-headed, overconfident, womanizing, and altogether sexy-as-hell brother named Edward?

"Her name is _Tanya,_ and I just did." He replied. Alice wrinkled her nose in disgust at the same time I did. We were equally as revolted when it came to Edward's sexual escapades. How he managed to string along the three most popular girls in our school at the same time was a mystery. A repulsing mystery that we did not want to solve.

"I was escorting Tanya out of my house, when I heard your unpleasant guffaw coming from the basement." He explained casually.

I whipped my head back around to glare at him again. "My _guffaw_ is not as unpleasant as the STDs you have crawling around in your pants." I responded, giving him a fake smile.

Alice put her hand over her mouth as she giggled.

"Actually, I don't have STDs. You're just jealous because you want to get into my pants, but I would _never_ stoop as low as to sleep with you." He said matter-of-factly.

I gaped at him. "Wait a minute. What makes you think that _I_ would stoop as low as to even _think _about sleeping with you?" I demanded. "You're a disgusting, pig-headed, egotistical jerk. You'd sleep with anything, as long as it had tits, a vagina and no brain."

"Wrong, Bella. I wouldn't sleep with _you_. Not that you actually have tits. The vagina is also questionable. The no-brain part you got right about yourself." He walked over and grabbed a handful of popcorn out of the bowl in my lap.

I didn't reply. If he heard my voice wavering, he would know how much his words actually hurt.

Alice however, did know. She got up and poked him hard in the shoulder. "Wow, Edward. You really_ are_ a jerk. Please get the hell out of the basement and leave us alone." She snapped, glaring daggers at him. Edward followed her orders obediently, and she slammed the door behind his back.

Something I knew about Edward, he hated offending Alice. If she asked him to do something, he would do it. Of all the people walking on the earth, Alice and their parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen, meant the world to him. And despite his love for them, he was never good at making them happy.

Alice sighed and looked after him in disappointment before looking at me sadly. Her one wish was for her fraternal twin brother and myself to get along with each other. I smiled at her softly. It wasn't her fault that Edward and I just couldn't be in the same vicinity without trying to tear one another's throat out.

"Don't worry Bella." Alice said. "He didn't mean it. You _do_ have boobs. We all saw them at mine and Edward's thirteenth birthday party, remember?" She reminisced, smiling.

I looked at her incredulously and picked up one of the couch cushions to hide my mortified, cherry-red face.

"You had to remind me?" I asked her, my voice muffled from the cushion.

"Well, no, but it was funny!"

"I'm glad that you find one of the most humiliating times of my life hilarious. And wasn't that your brother's idea of a joke?" I asked, removing the cushion from my face.

"Yeah. Untying your bikini top while the photos were being taken. The boy was a monster."

"_Is _a monster." I corrected her.

We had one of those nice, sharing sisterly smiles moments before the door opened and Edward re-entered the room, coming to stand in front of us.

"I thought I told you to leave us alone." Alice said, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. An eyebrow was raised and her glare was challenging. I shrunk back into the couch; angry-Alice was a scary Alice.

Edward raised his arms in defense. "I came back to apologize." He replied, shuffling his feet and looking guilty.

He looked at me. "Sorry for what I said about you having no tits. You clearly do, and I know it because-"

"Because of yours and Alice's thirteenth birthday party. Yeah yeah." I said, rolling my eyes.

"And I'm sorry for questioning your vagina. I know you have one-"

"Because you pantsed me at _my_ 7th birthday party, accidentally taking down my underwear too." I finished for him again.

"And you're the smartest girl in our grade, if not the whole school. I know this because-"

"I stayed up with you on the phone all night one time to help you finish the biggest English essay we had in grade 9." I finished. Edward smiled at me brightly.

Alice raised her eyebrows curiously. She didn't know about that one time because I never told her. If I did, she would ask me why I helped him and I would have to admit to her that I had a teensy crush on him in grade 9. That was before he turned into being both an asshole _and_ a womanizer.

"So can I join you guys now that I've apologized?" Edward asked Alice, smiling softly.

Alice scrutinized him a little more before nodding curtly. "But say another mean thing to Bella and you and your penis are going to be in a lot of pain." She told him, narrowing her eyebrows.

Edward nodded. "I won't." He replied, sitting on the loveseat close to me.

And so the three of us sat in silence, watching Emma Stone or _Olive_, sing the song "Knock on Wood". Edward was a little wide-eyed, and I could tell he found her little outfit and dance totally hot. Well Emma Stone _is_ awesome. I couldn't blame him.

When we neared the part where she was finishing the v-log, Edward was just as outraged as the boys in the movie that she didn't do any sexual acts in front of the camera. Alice and I looked at each other in amusement and shook our heads.

Then came the part when Woodchuck Todd arrived outside of Olive's house on his neighbour's lawnmower, blasting the oldies song "Don't You Forget About Me".

If I was looking at the screen longingly, I didn't know it. I just wished a guy would do something as romantic as that for me. I was totally into that John Hughes-style 80s romance as well.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you actually like that shit?" Edward asked, studying my expression and grinning.

I blushed. "I don't. It's a load of horse crap. Especially since guys like you exist in the world." I replied, feeling sorry for humanity.

Edward looked at me incredulously. "Guys like me?"

"Guys who don't believe in romance. Guys who believe in having sex without involving feelings, rather than doing it with someone they actually care about. Guys who-"

"I get it." Edward interrupted me, rolling his eyes. "Guys who have actual brains and don't fall for that mushy crap."

"No. Guys whose brains are in their dicks and while yes, they don't fall for that mushy stuff, it's because they're too afraid of putting their hearts out there and getting hurt. If you ask me, guys like that are dickhead wimps who will never get anywhere in life." I replied, staring straight into his beautiful green eyes.

Beautiful? Not beautiful. I meant nasty, mushy, dirty garbage-looking eyes.

Edward shook his head. "I feel sorry for you, Bella. You think you know guys like me? You don't. You never will. You just run around making ridiculous assumptions, ridiculous _excuses_ as to why guys will never fall in love with you. You're pathetic." He told me, getting up from his seat and leaving the basement.

Alice didn't say anything, or even look at me for that matter. She busied herself in studying the thread count of the cushion in her lap.

I got up. "I'm just going to go now." I said, leaving the basement and running out of the house and to my rusty red pickup truck. I hopped in and slammed the door, breathing heavily. My 'assumptions' were not ridiculous; they were accurate. And no one was 'in love' with me because I never gave them the chance to get to know me.

I looked up to see Edward smirking on his front porch.

I climbed out of my truck again and strode up to him angrily. "You're an asshole." I told him, wanting to smack the stupid smirk off of his perfect face.

"Oh, I'm mortally wounded by your harsh words Bella." He said sarcastically. "Tell me something I haven't heard before."

"To think I _actually_ thought you were cool when we were small." I exclaimed incredulously.

Edward raised an eyebrow at me. "I was. I still am, it's just you who's _uncool_."

"Oh please." I responded, narrowing my eyebrows at his complacent face.

"What happened to you, Bella? You used to be so careless, so free, so _fun._" He said, studying my face carefully. "You're different now."

No shit, Sherlock. "People change, Edward. I was _five._ We're older now, and I just happened to mature a little. Unlike you." I replied, sitting down on one of the front steps of the house.

He sat down beside me and knocked my knee softly with his own. "You're mature enough for all three of us. We're still teenagers, we deserve to have fun while we can. I'm just taking advantage of my life while its possible. You should too."

"Just because I'm not screwing around with people doesn't mean I'm not taking advantage of my life." I retorted, stretching my legs out. I blushed a little when I noticed Edward checking them out.

"You're not taking advantage of your life, Bella. You're sitting around reading books and hiding away from the world." He said, leaning in close. I felt my heart skip a beat. "You need to screw around with people once in a while." He leaned in closer until our lips were almost touching.

My breath was coming out in short gasps and my heart was beating erratically. Was Edward Cullen about to kiss me? "What if I don't want to just 'screw around'?" I whispered, staring into his sparkly emerald eyes.

"Screwing around is the best part, Bella dear." He whispered back, his lips almost brushing mine. I closed my eyes,_ wrong answer_.

"Well then, you should _screw off_." I replied, scooting away from him. I shouldn't have expected anything more. "Seriously, Edward? I'm not stupid. I'm not going to be another one of your little playthings, and I'm most definitely not going to 'screw around' with you." I looked at him in disgust before getting up and walking away.

"One day, Bella. You wait, you can't resist my charms forever!" Edward called after my retreating back. I could almost picture the contemptuous look on his face.

"Get over yourself." I muttered, clambering into my truck and driving off.

~.x.~

**EDWARD POV**

I watched Bella's truck drive away, a small grin on my face.

Alice and I grew up with her since we were all 4 years old. That was the year her mother left her and her father, Charlie, here in Forks. I still remember sitting outside of Alice's bedroom door listening to a four year old Bella wail about how her mother hated her and Charlie, and was never coming back.

I stood up and turned around to see Alice standing behind me.

"You almost kissed her." She hissed furiously, her arms crossed and her face livid.

"Relax, Alice. Do you really think_ I_ would actually kiss _Bella_?" I asked her, incredulous. Good thing I was such a good actor because this was actually kind of embarrassing.

"Yes, I do. I mean why wouldn't you? She's beautiful, smart, witty. All the things you secretly like in a girl." She replied, looking at me pointedly.

I shrugged. "I already have three of them. And even if they aren't as smart, beautiful and witty, they have a whole lot more going for them."

Alice laughed sarcastically. "Like what? Surgically enhanced tits and round asses? Puh-_lease. _I know you may be satisfied down there, but secretly you're craving more on a different level." She said knowingly.

I shook my head in amazement. "You really think you know what I want." I replied. It was more of a statement than it was a question.

"I don't _think_, Edward, I _know_. I'm your twin, remember? I know it sounds like a load of bull crap, but we have this freaky bond. I think it's called twin-telepathacity, or something."

"Telepathy, Alice." I said, pinching the bridge of my nose, a habit that only surfaced when I was frustrated or agitated.

"Well yeah, we have that. So I know things." Alice said, narrowing her eyes at me.

"Whatever. Are you done your rant?" I asked her tiredly.

"Not quite." She answered, standing firmly in her place. "Bella is an amazing, genuine, sweet, intelligent, innocent girl. You should know that, since the three of us grew up together since we were four." She reminded me. "If you want her for _more_ than just sex, I won't stop you. If you really like her, first you need to drop the three muska_whores_."

I shook my head and pushed past Alice into our house.

"Second, you need to get to know her, and she needs to get to know you." Alice continued.

"She already knows me, Alice." I replied, walking up the white marble staircase to my room. Alice followed me up.

"I know she knows you. I meant, get her to _really_ know you. What you like, how you play the piano, what you don't like, stuff like that. Get her to know you the way I do. The sensitive, talented, sweet guy, who's hiding behind an ugly mask because he's secretly afraid of the world. We still have our last year of high school, Edward; you can change a lot in a year."

I sighed and turned to face my younger twin. "Alice, sorry if I'm letting you down, but I don't want Bella. Not on a sexual level, not on the friendship level, not on _any_ level. We both know that she hates my guts, and I hate hers, and that's working just fine. Now I appreciate you helping me, but I don't need it." I told her, going into my bedroom and shutting the door before she could get a word in.

"You're right, Edward." Alice said angrily from outside my door. "She deserves better than _you_. You'll always be that horrible, immature guy who's too afraid to put his heart out there. You know, I really thought that you could be a good guy for a change. That you could make our parents happy for once. But I guess not."

I heard the tears in Alice's voice, so I opened my door to talk to her, but she was gone.

I sighed and sat on my bed, holding my head in my hands. I couldn't figure out what Alice wanted, what our parents wanted.

Or what _I_ wanted.

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**If you're enjoying this so far, I ask you to please leave a ****review****! Reviews motivate me to write (and update chapters sooner). ;)**

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**Yours, as always, **

_x-Bings. _


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: _I own nothing.  
**

**Aaand I'm back! Many times thank you those who responded to the story (by alerting, favoriting, and such) and a special thanks to _MormaTheMormo,__ Maggie Davis _and _greekzombie1 _for your reviews! :)**

**_MormaTheMormo _(who happens to be my fkn awesome friend) is now beta-ing this story, so expect less mistakes, my dear readers. Also, be sure to check out her amazing story, _Through My Eyes._ You won't regret it!**

**Here is the second chapter of _I Want To Hold Your Hand_.**

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**BELLA POV**

We ended up going to Mike's party at First Beach on the LaPush Reserve, much to my disappointment. Alice had me dressed up in a nice frock that apparently 'flaunted my _ass_ets'. She was cutesy herself, in a pretty little pink dress. My dress was deep blue and more sexy than it was cute.

Before we left Alice's house, Edward had been weirdly hitting on me. I don't know if I was overanalyzing his actions, but he did say, "_Damn_ Swan, is _that_ what you've been hiding under your jeans and big sweaters?" He then proceeded to check out my ass.

I expected that kind of behaviour from one of the immature boys from our school, not from _Edward_. I managed to flip him the bird before his 'date', -which evidently happened to be Tanya, _yet again_-entered the room, diverting his attention from me to her and her barely-there dress and ungodly heels.

I grimaced as I avoided Mike for what felt like the millionth time that night. Didn't he have anything better to do than try and grope me all night long?

I was in the middle of hiding behind a couple that was attached at the lip, when an unfamiliar voice called out my name. I turned to see the stranger, and was met with one of the smiling LaPush boys who lived on the reserve.

"Bella Swan! Remember me? I'm Jacob Black, Charlie used to bring you 'round when we were younger?" Jacob asked, smiling down at me eagerly.

I racked my brain until I came to a memory of myself making mud-pies in the rain on a dirty road with a little russet-toned boy who had shiny black hair and puppy-dog eyes. He couldn't have been more than three-years old at that time. Then I came to another memory of myself playing with dolls with two identical twin girls who looked similar to the boy. The boy was watching us from a distance, a confused look on his face.

I smiled fondly at the memory of the little boy and looked at the tall teenager in front of me. "Jacob Black? You had two sisters, right?" I asked, squinting at him in the light of the fire.

He nodded, smiling. "Rebecca and Rachel." He replied.

"Wow, it's been so long! How are they? Are they here?" I asked him, looking around excitedly.

Much to my disappointment, he shook his head. "Naw. They're long gone. Rachel's studying in Washington and Rebecca got married to a Samoan surfer and moved to Hawaii." He told me, shaking his head in disbelief.

I looked at him, surprised. If I remembered correctly, the twins were only two years older than myself. Rebecca was already _married_. Wow.

"We're all grown up now, I guess." I said, shrugging and smiling.

"Oh, I can see _that_." Jacob responded, grinning and looking me up and down. "You look great."

I blushed. "Thank you." I replied, touching his arm softly. The way Jacob looked at me was pleasant, as if he appreciated me. Very unlike Mike, who looked at me as if I was another yummy morsel.

We were mid-conversation when somebody cleared his or her throat from behind us, obviously trying to get our attention. I turned to see Edward standing there, staring at Jacob with slight resentment. I rolled my eyes impatiently. What did _he _want?

~.x.~

**EDWARD POV**

The moment she appeared in the room, I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

Alice had managed get her into a skin-tight dark blue dress, which complimented her features immensely. Her skin was cream and roses in contrast to the color. Her hair, which was usually straight, had been tousled into light waves. She had applied a light makeup to her eyes, making them even more chocolate-brown.

She descended the stairs with the grace of a swan- I snorted. Hah, a _swan. _How ironic.

Bella looked up at me, narrowing her eyes. Did she think I was laughing at her? To prevent her from getting too mad, I blurted out what randomly came to my head: "_Damn_ Swan, is _that_ what you've been hiding under your jeans and big sweaters?" To top it all off, I checked out her ass _while she was staring at me. _

What was wrong with me?

Bella stuck the middle finger at me, and then Tanya entered the room, distracting me in a dress that her breasts simply oozed out of. The red piece of fabric left no room for imagination, and while normally I would have been attracted, I just felt oddly…repulsed. I told her she looked good, nonetheless.

As we began talking, I found myself wishing that she looked more like Bella, who managed to wear her short, skin-tight dark blue dress with class, instead of looking like a cheap whore.

I turned my head to look at her. She was laughing with Alice about something unknown. I memorized how Bella looked when she smiled; how her chocolate-brown eyes grew lighter, her cheeks became rosy, how the corners of her eyes crinkled with genuine mirth.

"Edward? Pay attention." Tanya snapped angrily, jerking my head so that I was looking at her.

"Sorry." I murmured dazedly, my thoughts still on Bella.

"I think it's time that we leave." Tanya growled, walking ahead of me towards the front door.

That was when first noticed her shoes.

"You're not really thinking of wearing those to the beach, are you?" I asked her, staring at the thin four-inch heels. Why wasn't she wearing sandals like Bella and Alice? They were pretty _and_ sensible.

"Obviously." Tanya replied.

"Tanya, we're going to a _beach_. Your heels are going to sink into the sand and you are going to fall on your face." _God forbid that happen, _I thought sarcastically.

"I thought you would appreciate them." Tanya said, crossing her arms and scowling.

I smiled through my annoyance. "Of course I do. I just don't want my date to get hurt." I told her, stroking her arm.

She smiled. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Let's just get to the party; I don't want to be late." She said, walking out of the house.

Bella, Alice and I walked behind her, taking our time.

"Someone call the police and have her arrested for indecent exposure." Whispered Alice, making the both of them fall into fits of laughter.

"That's okay, we can just call my dad." Bella replied, making the two of them laugh harder.

Her father, Charlie Swan was the Chief of Police of Forks. I still didn't understand what was so absolutely hilarious so I just ignored them and made my way to the driver's side of my silver Volvo.

One beachside party coming up.

~.x.~

Tanya and I sat beside each other on the log, not talking. Tanya was unmistakeably drunk and ignoring me. She was ignoring me because she'd evidently face-planted after her heels sunk into the sand, and I outright told her she should have worn sensible shoes like Alice and Bella had.

I sipped my plain Sprite; I was the designated driver so I didn't want to drink. I was against drinking and driving. Nobody knew what I was drinking because we all had the same red Solo cups full of indefinite substances. Everybody just assumed that everybody else was consuming alcohol.

Usually I was the life of the party, but I wasn't feeling it tonight. Instead, I had been watching Bella dodge Mike all evening. I guess you could say it was my form of entertainment for the night.

Randomly, one of the LaPush boys began talking to Bella. She looked confused at first, but then recognition flashed in her eyes and they were off, talking and laughing about who knows what. Looking at them, it appeared as though they were flirting, but I knew Bella. She didn't know that guys took her actions in differently than what was intended. She was just overly friendly, I guess.

When Bella touched the boy's arm briefly, I couldn't understand the feelings of jealousy that suddenly overcame me. I must have been gripping my cup harder than I thought, because the next thing I knew, it was crumpled up on the sand.

I stood up, deciding to talk to her; rather than watching her like a creepy stalker all night.

_Ahem._ I cleared my throat, trying to get their attention. It worked, and they turned to face me. Bella's smile fell off her face, and was replaced with a look of irritation. "What do you want, Edward?" She asked me impatiently.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked her, glancing at the boy.

"Sure." She replied, placing her hands on her hips.

I sighed. "Alone." I said pointedly.

She let her hands fall to her sides. "One second, Jake." She told him, smiling. She followed me a little ways to the side so that we could speak privately.

"What?" She asked, searching my eyes with her own.

"I was wondering if you wanted to dance." I confessed, smiling at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Just because _you're_ not having fun, doesn't mean that I'm not." She replied. "I was in the middle of a good discussion, so no, I don't want to dance."

I looked at her, my mouth open in shock. I wasn't used to rejection.

"Anything else?" She asked sweetly. "I have to get back to my conversation."

I shook my head, no.

"Great. By the way have you seen Alice?" She asked, looking a little worried.

I finally found my vocal cords and responded. "No, I thought she was with you."

"Huh. Last time I saw her she was with Conner. I guess that okay, Conner's a good guy." Bella said, her worry lessening.

"Well, we better her find her soon. I want to leave." I replied.

"Yeah, it's about time we were getting home." She agreed. "How's Tanya holding up?"

I was about reply with something rude, but when I looked at Bella's face I noticed she was only teasing me.

"See for yourself." I told her, gesturing towards the log near the fire pit where Tanya was currently passed out on Mike's lap.

"Thank goodness. Now both of our problems out of the way." Bella said, sounding extremely relieved.

I chuckled, and she turned her head to glance at me quickly before looking away again.

"What?" I asked her, curious.

She bit her lip, smiling softly. "I haven't made you laugh in a long time." Her voice was quiet, and there was a look in her eyes that I didn't quite understand.

"You've made me laugh." I argued.

"Only when you're _ridiculing_ me. Never when we're acting civil with each other." She pointed out. "Which happens rarely, as it is."

I nodded in agreement, and our conversation wore off awkwardly.

I looked over to where the boy 'Jake' was supposedly standing, but he wasn't there.

"It looks as if the kid is gone." I informed Bella.

She looked over to where I was looking and sighed. "His name is Jacob and he's not a kid."

"Whatever floats you boat." I replied, indifferent.

"I guess I'll have to ask Charlie what his number is so I can call him later and apologize." Bella murmured to herself, running a hand through her windswept hair.

I scanned the party for a sign of Alice, when the she-devil herself showed up, a disgusted frown on her face.

"What's up?" I inquired about the look on her face.

"Ugh. Conner is a total douchebag. He tried shoving his tongue down my throat so I kicked him in the balls and gave him a lecture on why he should never try that again." She replied, shuddering.

I looked around angrily. He tried assaulting Alice? _Oh_ he was going to regret that. "Where is he?" I growled, clenching my fists.

Alice put her hand on my arm, attempting to calm me down. "Relax, Edward. I gave it to him good." She assured me, smiling.

I shook my head, trying to clear my anger. _The next time I saw that boy- _

My angry eyes met Bella's anxious ones, and I felt my anger slowly dissipate. "We should go." She said softly.

I relaxed my stance and nodded in agreement.

"How's Tanya getting home?" Bella asked, looking over to where Tanya and Mike were still passed out.

"Earlier in the night I asked her if she could get a ride back with Mike. She'll be fine." I responded as we got into my Volvo.

The drive out of LaPush was extremely quiet. I could hear Alice's soft snores resonating out of the back seat. I glanced back to see Alice asleep on Bella's shoulder. Bella was still awake, staring out of the window into the dark night absently.

She felt my gaze on her and caught my eye in the rear-view mirror. I averted my eyes back to the road.

"It's a quiet night." Bella said softly, breaking the silence.

I murmured my agreement, not wanting to speak loudly in fear of waking Alice up. She looked so peaceful in her slumber.

~.x.~

**BELLA POV**

The bright headlights of an approaching car had me covering my eyes from the vividness of the light.

I looked up at the rear-view mirror to sneak a quick glance at Edward's face, only to notice he was already staring at me. And it looked like he had something to say.

"Bella," He started, but I wasn't focused on him. No, my terrified gaze was focused on the truck that was zooming down the road.

_The truck that was coming straight at us._

"Edward watch out!" I screamed, becoming blinded by the terrifying bright headlights of the truck.

He jerked the steering wheel, but it was too late.

The truck hit the side of the car with incredible force. I screamed as one of the windows shattered, spraying my face and hands with shards of glass. We were spinning, lights were flashing, I was becoming dizzy. My eyes were filled with blood from the cuts on my forehead.

The car slammed to a halt and I crashed out of the window. Why hadn't I buckled my seatbelt?

I flew out into the forest, thankfully landing on a thick patch of grass. Even so, I felt pain sear through my body. I was squirming on my back in agony. I was crying out in pain. _Someone make it stop._

Oh god.

_Alice and Edward_. What about them? How badly were they injured? Were they still conscious? Were they still… _alive_? The impact of the crash was worse on them than it had been on me. My gut-wrenching sob echoed despondently in the night.

I managed to reach my hand into my bra to pull out my phone, whimpering at the pain of moving my sore arm. I flipped the phone open and with much difficulty, dialled 9-1-1. Charlie's voice rang out from the phone. "Bella?" He was panicked. The police had caller I.D.

"D-dad…" I croaked out, my voice coarse. My throat felt as though it were constricting. I could hardly breathe.

I could hear Charlie's alarmed voice asking me if I was okay, but I couldn't bring myself to reply.

I could see the stars from here, twinkling hopefully through the dark. _So beautiful._

The pain was leaving me numb, dulling my senses. The darkness was threatening to consume me.

_No._

I couldn't die. Not now.

I grasped at my consciousness with every fiber of my being. But my efforts were futile. This was a battle I could not win.

I looked once more towards the stars, a single tear escaping from the corner of my eye.

That was when I lost all consciousness.

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**So how'd you guys like the chapter? It's crazy how something like that could happen so early in the story, right? Well, please leave me a review telling me what you thought! It would be _very much_ appreciated. :)**

_**To view Alice, Bella and Tanya's party outfits, go to my profile and follow the link! :D**_

**To be honest, this chapter was kind of hard for me to write. I had to research a lot of information about collisions and the physics of car-crashes and stuff. /: Also, recently a car crash in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, affected a family that I know.**

**I apologize if the chapter was difficult for any of you to read, and I'm sorry if you've experienced anything like this.**

**Love you all,**

_x-Bings._

**PS. Like I mentioned before, don't forget to read _MormaTheMormo_'s story_ Through My Eyes_! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing. **

**WHOA it's been a loooooong while! Well, recently I've decided to start working on my stories a bit, so you're in luck! :P  
Thank you to all who've reviewed, followed the story, and haven't complained throughout this long process. :)**

**A special SPECIAL thank you to my Beta, _MormaTheMormo_, who's helped me every step of the way and has been such an amazing friend! If you haven't already, go check out her awesome story _Through My Eyes_ because you're missing out on some great story-age!**

**Now the moment you've all been waiting for, the third chapter of _I Want To Hold Your Hand_. **

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**BELLA POV**

The lights were bright, blinding, disorienting. The sound of beeping was all around me. I was strapped to something hard and being wheeled through a building. There was white everywhere, and the smell of sterilizer burned my nose. I could hear people yelling, but their words were incomprehensible.

I looked around wildly, my eyes rolling in their sockets. I couldn't focus on anything. The white, the lights and the blue-clothed people blurred into one confusing image. The person wheeling me was dressed in scrubs. _The hospital. _I relaxed, scanning my brain for reasons as to why I would be here.

_The crash._

The memory hit me like two tons of bricks.

I struggled to get off of the stretcher but my limbs weren't co-operating. Pain was shooting up and down my sides, and was especially present in my right arm. My head was killing me.

Oh god. Alice and Edward. Where were Alice and Edward? I needed to find them. "Alice? Edward?" I rasped, my voice sounding distant and muddled. _Please let them be okay_.

"It's okay, you're going to be fine." The nurse assured me.

_I don't care!_ I wanted to scream. _I don't care! Where are Alice and Edward?_ _How are _they_?_

I started to jerk my legs, ignoring the piercing pain that shot through my body with every kick. I needed to get free. I needed to find Alice and Edward. I needed to know that they were okay, that they were safe, that they were _alive_.

"The patient is in distress. Sedate her before she worsens her injuries." I heard someone order the nurse.

I struggled harder. _No! No please don't! Just tell me that they're okay!_ I tried to scream but no sound left my lips.

I felt the needle before I saw it, right in the arm. They injected the liquid into my blood and my limbs weakened. I fought to keep my eyes from closing, but my efforts were futile. "Please…" I managed to whisper, before I lost consciousness for a second time.

~.x.~

I groaned as I opened my eyes. How long had I been unconscious for?

"Isabella." An unfamiliar voice said my name and I was immediately alerted of someone's presence in my room. I rubbed my eyes and tried to focus, and saw that there was a doctor, _Dr. Michaels_, peering at me worriedly.

"What did you do to me?" I rasped. My limbs were still too weak to move, and it hurt to breathe.

"We had to sedate you. You were kicking and struggling to get off of the gurney, and you were irritating your injuries." She replied calmly.

"Where are Alice and Edward?" I asked, closing my eyes because the pain and dizziness was threating to send me over the edge of consciousness again.

"They're fine. Right now both of them are undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit. Both of them were hit with more impact than you were, and therefore have sustained worse injuries."

"Will they… will they…" I couldn't get the words out of my mouth without getting choked up.

"Live? From what I've seen, most definitely." Dr. Michaels replied so surely that I was immediately relieved. It was like a great weight had been lifted off of my body, and I could relax. Well partially. If I relaxed my arms and legs, the pain would become more intense. Or at least I thought so.

"Isabella-" "Bella." I corrected her.

"_Bella._ I'm going to shine this light into your eyes to assess your status."

I tried not to squint at the bright white light. It sent shivers down my spine, reminding me of the car accident.

"Good. Now would you like to know the extent of your injuries?" She asked politely.

I nodded.

"You received many scrapes on your face and arms, but it's nothing we can't repair. The scars will not be visible. You dislocated your right shoulder, broke your right elbow and sprained your right wrist. You twisted your right ankle and fractured three ribs; two on the right, one on the left."

I winced at her words. So that's why it hurt to breathe. And move.

"Bella, do you think you can recall the accident for me?" She asked, peering at me over her glasses.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember the night as vividly as I could.

"Edward was driving. I was talking to him and the bright lights of a passing car impaired my vision. Then I realized that there was a truck speeding towards us in the wrong lane. Edward swerved and the truck hit his and Alice's side of the car. The window smashed and sprayed me with glass. We spun around and around…" I paused to catch my breath, remembering the movement of being tossed around in the car.

"We jerked to a stop at the edge of the road and I smashed out of the window because I wasn't wearing my seatbelt. I think it was the right side of my body that hit the grass first. It _hurt._ Everything hurt. I took out my phone and called my dad, but passed out before I could tell him what happened."

I felt anxiety consume me. _Charlie._ Where was he? How was he coping? Was he here? Did he know I was okay?

"Bella? Are you alright? You stopped breathing. And your EKG is picking up an increased heart rate." Dr. Michaels looked at me worriedly.

"Charlie. My father. Where is he?" I asked, panicked.

"Calm down, Isabella. Your father is fine. In fact, Chief Swan is in the cafeteria right now. He's been here all night." She assured me, smiling warmly.

"And Mr. and Mrs. Cullen?"

"They're taking the first flight back and will be arriving tomorrow morning." She replied. "Now, we're testing Edward's system for alcohol so that we can be sure who's at fault."

I looked at her incredulously. Edward was the designated driver of the night! He wouldn't drink and drive, _especially_ when he had Alice in the car.

"Can you tell me where Alice was seated during the crash?" She asked.

"She was beside me, behind Edward. She was sleeping on my shoulder." I whispered. Alice had been so calm, so peaceful.

Dr. Michaels wrote down something on the clipboard.

"Can I… Can I see them?" I asked, hopefully.

She looked at me dubiously. "I don't think so. Not tonight. Especially when your injuries are so fresh. If it is safe, I will allow you to visit Edward later on. Alice, however, is off-limits for the time being. Now, get some rest, relax and if the pain becomes unbearable, page the nurse and she will increase your dose of painkillers." She got up to leave the room.

"But I want to speak to my father!" I tried to yell after her.

"Sleep, Bella. Your father will be waiting for you when you wake up." She replied, before shutting the door after herself.

I sighed heavily, and immediately regretted it. _Breathing with cracked ribs was a pain in the chest_. I laughed at my own joke, and that hurt too. I peered down at my ankle that was wrapped comfortably in a bandage. The swelling was obvious; like a golf ball was hiding under the gauze and fabric. Gross.

The only part of my upper body that wasn't in a cast was my left arm. My right arm, shoulder and torso were encased in an indigo fiberglass cast. My arm was numb, which was good. The only thing that really hurt was breathing.

I decided to page the nurse. My painkillers were due.

She entered, injected the fluid into my IV and left the room graciously.

I closed my eyes and tried to remember how Edward and Alice looked when they were smiling and happy. This comforted me a bit as I fell into a deep, melancholy sleep.

~.x.~

"Bella?" Edward croaked. His usually beautiful, silky-smooth voice was impaired by sleep and underuse. After I woke up, I demanded to see Edward because Alice was off-limits. So there I was, in his hospital room.

"Edward." I breathed, relief flooding me at the sight of him alive. He was alive, but badly broken and bruised.

I wheeled myself over to the side of his bed slowly, because I only had one good arm.

He looked extremely alarmed, looking at my arm, legs and the wheelchair. I smiled. "It's okay, I'm fine. I twisted my ankle and they put me in a wheelchair since I'm not allowed to use crutches or a cane because of my dislocated shoulder."

He looked visibly relieved. "Is everything else alright with you though?" He asked, his voice gaining some of its silkiness back.

I nodded. "I'll be fine. What about you?" I scanned his bruised face and bandaged nose. He also had a neck and back brace and cast on his left leg and arm.

"I cracked my spine." He replied indifferently. I gaped at him.

"_You cracked your spine?"_

"Bella, I'm fine. It was a compression fracture to my Lumbar vertebrae. I'm going to have no residual back pain or functional impairments. I probably won't get to play football again though." He said, looking disappointed.

I rolled my eyes. He sprains his back and all he cares about is his jock status, which will probably stay intact whether he's allowed to play on the football team or not.

"I also sprained my neck, broke my left leg and arm, cracked two left ribs and my nose. And if you didn't notice, I have a black eye." Edward pointed at his left eye with his good arm.

I closed my eyes and took a deep, painful breath.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked. I couldn't tell if he was concerned or not. It was weird for us to speak civilly to one another, let alone be _concerned_ for each other.

"I'm fine, just exhausted. It's hard for me to accept what happened. I wish this was a bad dream, and I'll wake up and everything will be normal again." I replied, staring at the floor.

Before Edward could reply, Dr. Michaels walked in. "The results came in for your blood alcohol levels, Edward. You had no apparent alcohol in your system." She told him approvingly.

Edward nodded; he already knew that.

"I'm glad you're here Bella," She said, finally addressing me. "Because there's something that I wanted to talk to you _both_ about." Her voice had gone from pleasant to serious.

Edward and I both looked at her inquiringly.

"It's about Alice." She informed us.

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. By the look on Edward's face, he felt it too.

"Alice cracked her skull." Dr. Michaels said slowly.

I thought I was going to fall off of my chair. My head was spinning and the feeling of dread in my stomach was weighing me down.

"However, there is no internal damage, and her brain is regulating normally. She should be fine once it heals." Dr. Michaels had opened her folder and was going through some papers.

I jerked my head up and met her eyes. She was dead serious. I wanted to cry with relief.

She shuffled the papers some more. "Alice broke most of the bones in the left side of her body. The impact of the truck affected her a great deal more than it did the both of you. However, her body will repair well." Dr. Michaels flipped to another paper.

"We had to do skin grafting on her neck and a bit of her cheek. So far, it has been successful. She'll look as beautiful as she did before, with no scars marring her face or neck as long as a special serum is applied."

I exchanged a happy smile with Edward. _Alice was going to be okay!_

"However, I was running a few tests on Alice's blood and came across something unexpected." Dr. Michaels was all seriousness again. She stared and Edward and myself with her dark, piercing eyes.

My stomach plummeted. My body was shaking with nervousness and apprehension, and the dizziness was returning. I bit my lip and waited with bated breath for Dr. Michaels to continue.

"Now usually I would wait for the parents of the patient to be present, but I feel that this is most urgent, and after all, you are Dr. Cullen's son." She paused, looking a little uneasy, before opening her mouth to deliver three words that would change our lives forever.

"_Alice has leukemia." _

And that's when the world came crashing down on me.

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**I hope you enjoyed the third chapter of I Want To Hold Your Hand! I felt kinda bad when writing it. Poor Alice. :(  
And doing all that medical research... EXHAUSTING! I feel like I can be a doctor now :P **

**Please, PLEASE, leave a review, whether it be praise or constructive criticism (no flamers please!), that would extremely appreciated! And think about it, with just a few words, you can make someone's (my) day! :)**

**Love you for reading my story! And for checking out _MormaTheMormo_'s story _Through My Eyes_ ;) , **

_x-Bings._


	4. Chapter 4

**_Disclaimer:_ I own nothing.**

**Yet again, it's been a long while, and I sincerely apologize!**

**Now I feel incredible guilty, because this is a short chapter too. :(  
****  
Thanks to all to reviewed and favorited and the like. I weally weally appreciate it :)**

**As usual, I'd like to thank my Beta, _MormaTheMormo_, for her unwavering support and friendship!**

**Please go check out her amazing story, _Through My Eyes_.**

**AND NOW... the moment you've all been waiting for... the FOURTH chapter of _I Want To Hold Your Hand_.**

* * *

**BELLA POV**

I couldn't stop crying. Even if my sobs paused for a second, realization would come crashing down on me again and I would fall into a new bout of body-wracking sobs.

"_The cancer is chronic lymphocytic leukemia. It isn't the most serious of blood or bone marrow cancers, but it can pose a threat to Alice's life if not treated. For the first few months we will undergo watchful waiting. This means that the cancerous cells are not dangerous enough to greatly affect her body for the time being."_

For the time being.

I couldn't think about a frail, weak Alice with no hair and sunken eyes. I closed my eyes and began to sob again. Not Alice. Please, not Alice. This has to be a misunderstanding. My Alice was healthy. Healthy, fine, and energetic, like she usually was.

I looked up at Charlie, who looked a little uncomfortable. I felt bad for him; he had watched me sob for hours on end.

"D-dad. It's o-okay. G-go to the c-caf." I managed to tell him.

He shook his head, and awkwardly wiped my eyes and nose. He wasn't very good with dealing with high emotions, especially sadness. "Don't worry about it, Bells. Everything will be okay." He said, trying to soothe me.

But that was the wrong thing to say. Because everything was _not_going to be okay.

I cried harder, my sobs becoming a little noisy.

Charlie cleared his throat awkwardly. "Do you want me to get the doctor, kiddo?" He asked hesitantly. But as he asked, Dr. Michaels walked in.

"Bella honey, you can see Alice now." She told me softly, her hand squeezing my shoulder comfortingly.

I looked up at her hopefully. "I c-can?" I asked, my voice a whisper.

She nodded. "She's awake. And she's waiting for you." She replied, giving me a soft smile.

_Alice was awake! And waiting for _me_!_

"Why don't you wheel Bella to Alice's room, Chief Swan?" Dr. Michaels asked Charlie kindly.

"Call me Charlie." He replied. "And yeah, that would be good." He said, casting a sideways look at my grief-stricken self.

While my father wheeled me through the hallway, my tears kept falling. But they were happy tears. I was going to see Alice! My best friend, my sister. I wiped my eyes hastily. I needed to be strong for her.

When we arrived outside of Alice's room, we encountered Esme, who was just exiting the room. Tears stained her cheeks and her eyes were awfully red. This sent me into another bought of fresh tears.

She bent down and hugged me tenderly. "Oh, Bella." She cried, stroking my hair. I sobbed into her shoulder like I would if she were my mother. "I'm so sorry, Esme." I managed to choke out.

"It's going to be okay, honey. We'll get through this. We must stay strong for Alice." She replied, standing back and dabbing at her eyes sophisticatedly. She gave Charlie and myself a sad smile before making her way, I supposed, to Carlisle's office in the hospital.

Charlie wheeled me into Alice's room slowly.

Seeing Alice sitting up on her bed, watching a silly fashion show on her hospital television, sent a cavalcade of emotions through me. Happiness, joy, relief, sadness, anguish and finally anger. How could someone hurt to such an innocent, happy, carefree girl like Alice? I hoped that truck driver suffered immensely for the grief he caused upon Alice and her family. I know the cancer wasn't his fault, but the injuries most definitely were.

"Bella!" Alice yelled happily, seeing me in her doorway. If I could throw myself at her without hurting the both of us in the process, I would have. Instead, I wheeled myself over to her with my one good arm as fast as I could, and gave her a one-armed hug on the unbroken side of her frail body.

"Oh Alice." I cried, happy tears springing to my eyes. I could see Alice had tears in her eyes as well.

"I've missed you so much." I whispered, a tear escaping one of my eyes and running down my cheek.

"I've missed you to, Bella." She replied, tears falling from her eyes.

I reached up with my left arm and brushed her tears away softly.

There were bandages on her left cheek and the left side of her neck. I could see her body was heavily bandaged and cast-encased underneath her blanket. "How could this have happened?" I asked myself, grief taking over my body.

"Bella, it's okay, I'm going to be okay. They said that there's a high chance that they can get rid of the cancerous cells in my body. I'm going to be healthy as a horse." She assured me, smiling brightly.

I laughed softly and smiled back. But deep down I wasn't convinced.

A clanking noise made Alice and I look at the doorway.

Edward walked into the room, leaning on a cane and wearing a big walking boot and thick leg cast.

"Shouldn't you be in a wheelchair?" I asked him, a little concerned.

He shook his head. "I refused to be in a wheelchair. I hate being wheeled around by people."

I looked at him incredulously. "How could they let you walk around with only a cane?" How stupid were these people?

"My dad practically owns this hospital, Bella." Edward explained, sounding as if he thought I was stupid.

Alice shook her head. "You're so stubborn." She told him, exasperated.

Edward ignored her statement. "Alice, thank goodness." He breathed. He was so visibly relieved, like a person peeing for the first time in days. There was new colour in his cheeks and life in his eyes. He really _did_ care about his little sister.

Alice rolled her eyes, but looked flattered. "Jeez, Eddie. I didn't know you cared so much." She replied, smiling at him.

He grinned and ran a hand through his hair, which looked freshly washed. _No_ _fair_. I probably didn't look as good as he did. Even though he was wearing a neck and back brace and had a bandage on his nose and a black eye. I shook my head; he was unfairly blessed.

"You don't understand how amazing it is to see you sitting up and watching your stupid fashion shows." He told her, limping over with his cane and settling down on the two-person seat underneath the window in Alice's room.

She pouted. "My fashion shows are _not_ stupid." She replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

I couldn't help but grin at the both of them. "They _are_ a little stupid, Alice." I told her teasingly. Edward and I exchanged a brief smile.

"Traitor." Alice replied, frowning at me. "But I'm glad you guys are agreeing about _something_." She said, looking content.

I shook my head at her silliness.

She yawned involuntarily and giggled. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Alice. You've had a trying morning. Get some rest, Bella and I will be here when you wake up." Edward promised her, and I nodded in agreement. I wasn't leaving the room unless they dragged me from it.

Alice smiled and made her bed lie flat, her eyelids drooping. "Thank you guys. I love you both so much." She whispered, before drifting off.

I watched her sleep for a few minutes before letting myself fall apart. Things had almost felt normal, except we were in a hospital room, all of us had almost been killed in a car crash and Alice had just been diagnosed with blood cancer.

I let the tears fall from my eyes. They fell freely and abundantly, blurring my vision and drenching the front of my hospital gown.

I wheeled myself over to where Edward was sitting. Once he saw my face, his solemn expression softened. To my surprise, he stood up and tenderly pulled me out of the wheelchair and onto the seat beside him. _The idiot is going to make his back worse_, I thought angrily.

But as he wrapped his arms around me carefully, my anger dissipated, and before I knew it I was sobbing into his chest. His lips were pressed above my forehead, and he was murmuring words of comfort into my hair.

"Shh, Bella, it's going to be alright. Alice is going to recover. Our father is going to treat her. You know how amazing Carlisle is. She's going to be fine." He whispered consolingly, stroking my back.

I let his words wash over me and lull me into a placid state of mind. I felt so comfortable, wrapped up in him.

This was a side of Edward I never encountered before. I was scared, because when his arms were around me, I felt safe. When his arms were around me, I felt calm. When his arms were around me… I was home.

~.x.~

_I never thought that you would be the one to hold my heart_

_But you came around and you knocked me off the ground from the start_

_You put your arms around me_

_And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go_

_You put your arms around me and I'm home_

_How many times will you let me change my mind and turn around?_

_I can't decide if I'll let you save my life or if I'll drown_

_I hope that you see right through my walls_

_I hope that you catch me 'cause I'm already falling_

_I'll never let a love get so close_

_You put your arms around me and I'm home_

…

Song: Arms by Christina Perri

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**I hoped y'all enjoyed this here chapter! :B**

**So you know what to do! ;) Please leave a teensy review if possible! You know it's reeeally easy..**

**Thanks for reading my story!  
**

_x-Bings._


	5. Chapter 5

**Guess who managed to repair her laptop after all? I DID! **

**All of the stories, every chapter, every word, every idea, every plot, it's back again! And with it comes this fifth chapter of I Want To Hold Your Hand. I'm still working on the next chapter which will be ready and up by next week. :)**

** I cannot thank you guys enough for your patience and understanding. Every review brightened my day and put a smile on my face! I hope this chapter does the same for you!**

**_Disclaimer_: I own nothing but the plot. **

* * *

**EDWARD POV**

I was woken up by the sound of Dr. Michaels entering the room. She turned a lamp on and the room became dimly lit. I tried to sit up, but I noticed that something was weighing me down. Or at least, _somebody_.

I looked down at Bella's sleeping form. She was lying down in my arms, her legs propped up on her wheelchair, just as I had placed them yesterday. I had wanted her to be more comfortable, and since she was sleeping like a baby, I was sure she was comfortable enough.

Dr. Michaels smiled at the sight of a peaceful Bella. "Good evening, Edward. I know you want to keep an eye on Alice, but you and Bella have to return to your respective rooms. You father and I have to run a few tests on your sister. But you both can come back once we're done."

I nodded and casted a worried look at Alice, who was as sound asleep as Bella was. "Alright." I made to get up, but sat back down. "Dr. Michaels? Is there really a chance that you can rid the cancer cells from Alice's system?" I asked her, probing her wise, dark eyes with my own.

She looked at me seriously, and straightforwardly said, "There is a chance, yes, that we can rid Alice's body of the cancerous cells. However, we're still not sure as to whether or not it is _completely_ possible."

"Thank you doctor." I replied quietly.

I shook Bella a little. "Bella, we have to leave the room now." I told her.

She started to stir, before finally opening her eyes. The light brown orbs looked upwards at my face. "Edward?" She asked, her voice heavy with sleep.

"Shh, Bella. Alice is sleeping. We have to leave the room because Dr. Michaels and Carlisle have to run a few tests on her." I whispered.

Bella gingerly took her legs off of the wheelchair and slowly sat up and moved a little ways away from my body. "Do we have to?" She asked, looking sadly at Alice.

"Yes. But we can come back after." I assured her.

"Hmm, okay." She said quietly.

I helped her into her wheelchair and stood up, leaning on my cane for support. My back was a little sore from not sleeping flat on a bed. Bella seemed to notice this. "Are you okay?" She asked, her chocolate-brown eyes full of worry.

I nodded and gave her a quick smile. "I'm fine, just a little sore. How about you?"

"Everything feels fine… Thank you." She replied softly. I couldn't tell if she was thanking me for asking, thanking me for putting her feet up, or thanking me for letting her fall asleep in my arms.

"No problem." I replied, because surprisingly, I was fine with all three of the possibilities.

Dr. Michaels wheeled Bella out of the door as I limped behind them. I cast one last look at my little sister's peaceful, beautiful face before quietly closing the door behind myself.

~.x.~

**BELLA POV**

I ran out into the fresh air, taking a deep breath and revelling in my surroundings.

"Someone's excited to go home." A voice quipped from behind me.

I turned around and beamed at Edward, the owner of that joking voice. "Of course I am! We were in the hospital for _6 weeks_. I can _feel fresh_ air on my skin. Fresh air!" I did a pirouette with my arms raised. "I'm not wearing a cast any more, I can finally take a shower using my own shampoo, I can sleep in my own bed, eat my own home cooked meals and-"

"Alright, Bella. I think I get it." Edward interrupted my speech, smiling back at me. "It does feel great to be out of there. I don't ever want to go back." He said, casting a dark look at the hospital.

I sighed. _Sighed!_ God it felt good to be able to breathe properly again.

"I just wish Alice could have left with us today." I told him, feeling upset that my best friend couldn't join us on this commemorative day.

He nodded in agreement. "Me too. And maybe the three of us could have watched another one of those garbage chick flicks together." He replied, grinning at me.

I ignored his insult. "Watching a movie would have been nice." I replied; reminiscing the many times Alice and I curled up in the theatre room, our eyes glued to the TV screen, distractedly eating popcorn and drinking Coca Cola.

"We still can, if you want. Watch a movie, I mean. It's going to be strange without Alice around, but it would be oddly comforting." I said, avoiding Edward's eyes and hoping that he couldn't see the light blush on my cheeks.

"You know what? Sure. I think I can stand being in the same room with you now." He joked, nudging me with his elbow good-naturedly.

I felt my heart jump at the contact. My skin tingled where his had touched it. Maybe my skin was just feeling weird after not having interaction with fresh air for so long, or something.

Edward opened the passenger door of his father's black Mercedes for me and stood back, waiting until I got in. I was shocked. I'd seen Edward do that for other girls, but he'd never done it for me. Ever. Granted, we never used to get along.

I settled into the passenger's seat after a moment's hesitation, and Edward closed the door gently before walking around to the driver's seat and getting in.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" I asked, feeling a little worried about him being behind the steering wheel. After all, the last time I was in a car with Edward we got into a serious car accident.

"Meaning, you're scared to see me behind the wheel." Edward didn't say it as a question, but rather as a statement.

But I wasn't scared of him _driving_; I was scared that driving might be a traumatic experience for _him_. I felt completely safe with his driving as long as he was comfortable with it.

So I explained my reasoning to him.

His deep emerald eyes searched mine succinctly before he replied, "Don't worry about me, Bella. I'm fine as long as you are."

I told him to put the pedal to the metal.

I gripped the leather seats tightly as the speedometer hit 100.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked, glancing at me briefly. He looked like the perfect picture of relaxation and control.

I tried to smile, but it probably looked like a grimace. "Slow down a little, will you? Even before the crash I was scared of going over 80 on the roads of Forks." I replied, my grip on the seats loosening as Edward slowed to 80 mph.

"You're more… _cautious_ than I thought." Edward said, grinning at me. I stuck my tongue out at him; I knew the word he really wanted to use was _uptight_.

I opened the passenger-side window and let the beautiful summer breeze fill the car. I closed my eyes and tilted my face to the sun, letting it warm my skin. It was rare to ever see the sun in Forks, so I was thanking the heavens for parting the clouds over our usually dreary town.

"You should act like this more often." Edward commented, disturbing my peaceful moment.

I opened my eyes and spied him watching me from the corner of his eye. "Act like what?" I asked him, confused.

"Young, carefree, alive. Not to mention...beautiful." He said, grinning at me.

I laughed. "How can someone _act_ beautiful?" I replied. I'm not good at receiving compliments. When I do, which seldom happens anyways, I usually say something awkward, or completely disregard what the person said.

"And I do act this way. We're just constantly at each other's throats, so you never get to see me like this. I'm not as bitchy as you think I am, Edward." I told him, leaning back in my seat.

"And I'm not as much of an asshole as you think I am." He countered, glancing over at my frowning face. "Oh come on, Bella, cheer up. I complimented you too, doesn't that count for anything?"

I wanted to tell him, _'No, it doesn't.'_ but I bit my tongue. Instead I replied, "Thank you for that lovely compliment, Edward." And I gave him a closed mouth smile.

"So what movie do you want to watch?" He asked grimly, as if I was sentencing him to some kind of torture.

I scrutinized him carefully.

Edward was an incredibly attractive, jerk of a guy who happened to be a player, but he may have a soft side as well… He sounded like many other male leads in the chick flicks I'd seen. But one stuck out to me the most. "Let's watch John Tucker Must Die."

"_Who_ must die?" He asked, completely confused.

"_John Tucker Must Die_. It's a really good movie. Or at least _I _think so." I told him, shrugging.

Alice would agree; it's one of our favorite movies. It's about a guy, John Tucker, who strings along three girls (just like Edward, except Edward's sluts knew about each other), and the three girls find out about his infidelity and decide to exact revenge against him in the form of the pretty new girl. The new girl doesn't like John Tucker, so the three girls hatch a perfect plan; get the new girl to have John Tucker fall deeply for her, then break his heart the way he broke theirs.

I, unlike many other girls, actually like the ending of the movie and I would explain why, but I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't watched it.

I scrutinized the side-profile of Edward's beautiful face. His dark, thick, long, fluttery eyelashes were eyelashes that any girl would be envious of. Then there was the straight, angular perfection that was his nose, made even more perfect after he broke it in the accident. I looked at his soft, delectable, perfectly kissable lips, then to the sexy, strong angles of his jawline. He was, in other words, godly.

And totally despicable, at times.

"What?" He asked, giving me a drool-worthy grin.

"Just thinking." I replied nonchalantly.

"About me?"

_Yes_. "No."

Edward's grin widened, and I felt myself involuntarily blush. The damn idiot was like a mind-reader.

"So you just stare at people's faces while you think about things like, oh, I dunno, politics?" He asked, chuckling at his own joke.

I couldn't help but laugh as well. "No, I stare at people's faces when I'm thinking of ways to get rid of them." I replied, giving him a wicked smile.

Edward simply smirked but didn't reply.

Maybe it wasn't funny to be joking about offing people when we'd just almost died.

I had to admit, I was glad Edward survived. Not that I ever wanted him to die, I just never really appreciated his presence before the incident.

"Honestly, I'm glad that you're here." I finally admitted to him, avoiding eye contact by fiddling with my fingers. "Never thought I'd be saying it, but I am."

Edward reached over and turned my face so that I was looking into his eyes. I was about to start freaking about him not having his eyes on the road or hands on the steering wheel, but I realized that we had arrived at his house. And I had bigger issues to worry about.

Like the fact that I found myself wanting to kiss his smooth looking lips.

"No matter what you think, Bella, I care about you as much as I care about Alice. You don't understand how relieved I was to see that you were alive." He said, the emotion in his eyes burning holes into mine. I found that I couldn't distinguish his emotions; there was something in his eyes that I'd never seen before.

We stared into each other's eyes for a few more seconds without saying anything. I couldn't bring myself to speak. What did I have to say? A lot, but those words were "out of bounds". Edward would think that I actually had romantic feelings for him. And I didn't. _Did I?_

Edward dropped his hand that had been gently cupping my face and broke our eye contact. "Let's watch that movie." He said quietly, getting out of the car and crossing over to open the door for me.

I thanked him as he helped me out of the car, even though I didn't need his help, and followed him quietly up the front steps of his house. I couldn't help but remember the night that he almost kissed me while we were sitting on those very steps. Not one of our finer nights, I had to admit.

"Sorry for trying to assault you, that one time." Edward apologized, smiling awkwardly while unlocking the door.

I suppressed a giggle. That was hardly assailment in my eyes. Hell, if it _had_ happened I probably would have enjoyed it. "Don't worry about it." I told him, trailing behind him into the house.

**EDWARD POV**

"I'll get the cokes and popcorn." I told Bella, heading towards the kitchen. I was hoping that she didn't notice how flustered I was since our conversation in the car. Me, Edward Cullen, flustered after having quite an _intimate_ conversation with _Bella Swan_.

"I'll pop in the DVD, then." Bella replied, making her way to the theatre room.

I had just removed the slightly burnt popcorn from the microwave when the doorbell rang.

_Alice!_ Maybe they allowed her to leave the hospital early. Bella would be so happy. Maybe I wouldn't have to watch that 'someone must die' movie with them. What kind of chick flick had the words 'Must Die' in the title?

I walked to the front door and opened it with my special 'reserved for my baby sister' smile, but the grin was immediately wiped off of my face.

I stepped outside and closed the door behind me before facing my visitor.

"Tanya… What are you doing here?" I asked her, hoping to God that Bella hadn't heard the doorbell ring.

"Edward, oh gosh, I'm so glad that you're back from the hospital! I wanted to visit, but they said I 'wasn't allowed' or something." She said, rolling her eyes and flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

I tried to hide my smile. I specifically asked that the hospital not allow Tanya, Lauren or Jessica to visit me while I was there.

"That's weird." I replied. Almost as weird as her being in front of my house at that moment. I hadn't asked her to come.

"Tanya, you have to go. I've got compa-"

"Edward? Who is ih-"

**BELLA POV**

I paused mid-word. So it wasn't Alice arriving early, as I'd hoped. It was an uninvited Tanya. Or had Edward invited her? I looked at Edward questioningly. I was feeling surprisingly hurt, and trying not to let my disappointment show.

"Bella-" Edward started, his worried green eyes searching my face.

"What are you doing here?" Tanya snarled, looking at me as if I was a piece of shit on the bottom of her slutty high heel.

"I could ask the same of you." I replied, narrowing my eyebrows at her angrily. "Or let me guess, Edward called you over, huh? Since he's fresh out of the hospital, he needed a little something after not getting any for 6 weeks." I scowled at Edward before turning back to Tanya. "And you must be his booty call, since Lauren and Jessica probably weren't available."

_"Why you little bih-"_ "Tanya. Don't." Edward said in a warning tone.

"Can it, Edward." I snapped, whirling around to face him. The shocked look on his handsome face only made me angrier. "As if I need you to protect me from Tanya's 'harsh words'."

"She's right." Tanya sneered from behind me. "She's not worth it, Eddie."

I tried not to let that sting. I wasn't worth what? His attention? His sympathy? _His love? _I couldn't turn back around to face Tanya. Maybe I should have just left; this was not worth fighting about.

If Edward saw my defense falling, he took advantage of that. I wanted to step back as he stepped forward, but I wasn't quick enough.

I avoided his searching gaze by glaring at the floor.

"Bella?" He asked tentatively.

The hurt in his voice made me look up swiftly. Why was _he_ acting hurt? Something within the depth of his eyes almost convinced my heart that he was sincerely upset, but my head was having none of it.

"What?" I snapped, my voice more morose than infuriated; I still couldn't mull over the fact that Edward actually invited Tanya over. I thought the time we spent together at the hospital changed him a little, if not a lot. But of course, I was wrong as usual. And what about that… moment we had in the car?

"Do you really think I would have invited Tanya over while you were here?" He questioned, his voice low, his eyes burning.

The intensity of his gaze sent chills down my spine, and caused my heart to beat rapidly.

"The point is that you invited her over, period." I replied, my voice wavering slightly.

"Believe me, Bella, I didn't invite anyone into my house except for you." He said solemnly.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" I muttered to myself.

"Enlighten me." He demanded.

From behind me, Tanya cleared her throat noisily, trying to get us to involve her in the conversation.

Edward and I both turned to glare at her minutely, before turning back to each other.

"You would gladly invite any of your three skanks over whether I was at your house or not." I told him with narrowed eyes.

"I'm not a skank!" Tanya interjected, sounding affronted.

Edward and I rolled our eyes at the same time.

"Why are you still here, anyways?" Edward asked her, annoyed.

"Because. I'm staying right here until you two finish your little argument." She replied, her voice all high-pitched and whiny. I turned to see her sit on the front steps and cross her arms insolently.

Edward sighed, looking exasperated. "You're always making assumptions, Bella."

"Like you don't." I huffed back. "How could you do this to Alice?" _To me._

Edward raised his eyebrows incredulously. "I didn't invite her over, Bella. I swear." He replied, ignoring my statement.

I shook my head and looked down at my feet. "Earlier today, I would've believed you." I said quietly.

"What changed?" He asked. There was a tone of desperation in his voice, as he demanded to know.

_I finally realized that I was letting my old feelings for you cloud my better judgment,_ I thought to myself.

Instead I replied, "I thought _you_ had." I met his piercing green gaze briefly before walking down the steps to leave.

"Did you not hear what I said to you in the car, Bella?" Edward asked loudly, hurt coloring his voice again.

"What did you say to her?" Tanya inquired curiously, standing up.

I looked at her, hoping the tears in my eyes wouldn't spill over. _That he cares about me. As much as he does Alice. _Butthen, what did that count? Since Tanya was still standing in front of me. _Sibling affection,_ I thought bitterly. "He said he'd choose you over me any day." I lied, blinking the tears away.

"I'm going home." I said before Edward could tell Tanya what he _really_ said. "Can I borrow a car?" I asked, my back still facing him.

"Bella, wait-" Edward pleaded.

"Never mind, I can walk." I interrupted him, beginning to walk down the steps.

**EDWARD POV**

"Bella, here. Take Carlisle's keys." I ran to stand in front of her and stopped her in her tracks. Even if Forks was a quiet town, I didn't trust her to be safe if she walked home alone. Plus, it would probably take her all night.

I picked up her hand and dropped the keys into her palm. She tried to get her hand out of my grip but I held on tight. Not tight enough to hurt her, of course.

"Bella, I didn't invite her over." I tried to convince her once last time. I looked her dead in the eye, trying to let her see that I wasn't lying to her. I was as surprised to see Tanya as much as Bella was.

Disappointing Bella was the last thing I wanted, oddly enough. I'd just gotten into her good books, and now, quick as a flash, we were reverting back to the way we were before the accident.

Did the past few weeks mean nothing to Bella? Did my words in the car, words that had spilled from my mouth without any hesitation or falsity, have no value? I'd never been so personal with Bella before, and to tell her that I cared for her was a pretty damn big deal. Alice would have a fit if she found out.

"Save it, Edward. I really don't care." Bella said bitterly, interrupting my thoughts.

I probed her beautiful chocolate-brown eyes, searching for a sign that she didn't really hate me. But her eyes were as hard as stones.

"I'll take the car to the hospital and give the keys back to Carlisle. Charlie can pick me up from there." She said, lowering her gaze so that she wasn't meeting my eyes anymore.

I stared at her for a bit longer; feeling reluctant to let go of her arm, but I knew that with each passing second, her feelings towards me grew more hostile.

She pulled her arm away from me angrily as I loosened my grip. "Bye Edward. Tanya. Enjoy yourselves." She said resentfully.

I stared after her helplessly. This was not the night I had planned for us. We were supposed to be watching a movie, or at least she would watch the movie while I watched her. We were supposed to be spending "quality time" together. Maybe we'd fall asleep on the couch together, only to be woken up by Carlisle and Esme, who would tell us to go sleep in actual beds. Separate beds, of course.

I heard Tanya's heels click against the marble steps of the porch behind me. "Thank goodness she's gone. What a waste of time and space." She said, her nasally voice annoying me beyond belief.

I quietly watched Bella get into the Mercedes and speed away without a second thought.

"Great." I sighed dejectedly, running a hand through my hair.

Tanya clung to my arm. "I don't know why you bother trying to make friends with her, Eddie. Frankly, I don't know why _anyone_ wants to be her friend." She said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

I pulled my arm out of Tanya's grasp. "Leave. I'm tired. I'll… I'll call you later." I told her, walking back into the house and slamming the door behind myself.

Like the pathetic guy I was, I stomped up the stairs and into my room. I couldn't figure out why I was so _angry_. I punched the wall, leaving a sizeable dent in the plaster. "Damn." I grunted, analyzing the full damage. Hopefully Esme wouldn't notice. I sat on my bed and rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on.

What was wrong with me? Tanya was right in the sense that I was making a pointless effort trying to be friends with Bella. Bella was a hard-headed, judgmental, uptight prude, who thought she knew everything about me.

But what was it about her that made me so curious, so interested, so intrigued? Why did she have the ability to get under my skin? Why did she always judge my actions? Why did she make me so infuriated with myself?

_Why did I even care?_

* * *

**I wonder what you're thinking. :P Feel free to leave a review to tell me! (It'll show me how much you care :D)  
****  
Love y'alll,**

_x-Bings._

**ps. Happy New Year everyone! :)**


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